Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02652614 2010-07-20
PASSENGER HARNESS BELT FOR A RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a harness system and more particularly, the
present
invention relates to a safety riding harness type belt for taking passengers
on the back of
recreational vehicles such as motorcycles, snowmobiles, Quads/ATVs.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Harnesses for securing passengers to the driver of, for example, a
recreational vehicle
have been proposed previously.
One such example is evinced by United States Patent No. 4,560,097, issued
December
24, 1985, to Reynolds et al. In the reference, there is disclosed a safety
harness for a
motorcycle passenger. The arrangement provides a series of straps and a full
vest. The
arrangement positions the passenger, in this case a child, in direct contact
with the driver. this
may present situations where if the child fidgets, the control of the vehicle
may become
challenging for the driver by the disruption of balance. Further, the
disposition of the straps
over the shoulders of the driver extend diagonally downwardly proximate both
sides of the
passenger's face. This is, of course, somewhat dangerous.
In the present technology discussed herein after in greater detail, the
limitations of the
known arrangements are overcome with an improved device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved harness for
accommodating a passenger securely connected to the driver of, for example, a
recreational
vehicle.
In accordance with one aspect of one embodiment of the present invention,
there is
provided a safety harness for securing a passenger to a driver of a
recreational vehicle, the
harness comprising:
an adjustable belt for positioning about the waist of the passenger;
40268886.1
-1-
CA 02652614 2010-07-20
a back yolk support;
a first strap and a second strap, each releasably connected to the back yolk
and the
adjustable belt, each said strap having opposed free ends, the ends of a
respective strap being
releasably engageable, the straps in use being positioned about the torso and
legs and over the
shoulders of the passenger; and
padding means for positioning between the passenger and the driver for spacing
the
driver and the passenger, the padding means being connected to each said
strap, the padding
means adapted to receive a belt for positioning about the waist of the driver
for attaching the
driver and the passenger.
The device has a wide belt that wraps around the adult rider, which is
attached to a
padded separator block or cushion. The block is, in turn, attached to a five
point harness that
includes a wide waist belt for the passenger which may be a child or small
adult.
Advantageously, the arrangement incorporates unique features such as:
ensuring the child remains in an upright position while riding;
providing interchangeability between adult size waist belts, an example of
which is a
regular waist size belt is adjustable from 30" to 44" and a second belt size
adjustable from
44" to 57";
a back yoke support pad connected to the shoulder straps to assist in
maintaining the
shoulder straps; and
a neck or helmet support pad connected to the support pad to help support some
of the
weight at the back of the child's/ passenger's helmet which eases the strain
on the
child's/passenger's neck muscles during the ride.
The device has a wide belt that wraps around the driver, which is attached to
a padded
separator block, which is in turn attached to a five point harness that
includes a wide waist
belt for the child/passenger.
While using a motorized vehicle such as a motorcycle, if a child passenger
were to
ride on the back, he or she could fall off if they were not hanging on tight
or if they were to
40268886.1
-2-
CA 02652614 2010-07-20
ride over a bump in the road etc. as the driver cannot assist with securing
the child on the
back as his/her hands are on the motorcycle's controls while riding. Children
tend to drift off
to sleep while riding and therefore may slide off the vehicle. Having the
child ride on the
tank is also not very safe as the driver cannot operate the vehicle safely
while trying to hang
on to his/her passenger while riding.
The present invention allows the adult driver to take a child from the ages of
2 years
old up to 12 years old on the back of recreational vehicles such as
motorcycles. It is a 5 point
riding harness that secures the child to the back of the adult driver. The
product is designed
so that even if the child were to drift off to sleep or if they were to hit an
un-noticed bump in
the road, the child would not fall off as they are securely attached to the
adult driver of the
vehicle. This product allows the driver to safely operate the vehicle using
both hands, while
the passenger is safely secured behind him/her.
The device is a harness designed for taking a child on the back of a
recreational
vehicle (motorcycle, all terrain vehicles (ATV), and snowmobile) or on
horseback.
The features of the invention will become more apparent in the following
detailed
description in which reference is made to the appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the harness arrangement according to one
embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of the harness arrangement of Figure 1 in use as
positioned
about a passenger and driver;
Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of the harness for the passenger with the
driver belt
removed for clarity;
Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of the driver belt with the passenger
harness
removed for clarity; and
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cushion pad used to space the passenger
from the
driver.
40268886.1
-3-
CA 02652614 2010-07-20
Similar numerals used in the drawings denote similar elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the
harness
arrangement, generally denoted by numeral 10. Broadly, the harness 10 includes
a driver belt
12, a passenger harness arrangement 14 and a padded cushion 16 between the
belt 12 and
harness 14.
Turning to greater detail, Figure 4 delineates the driver belt 12. The purpose
of the
belt is to strap securely around the driver's waist as shown in Figure 2. As
an example, the
driver belt 12 is made of strong nylon Cordura and is 6" wide at the driver's
back and tapers
down to 4.5" wide at the driver's front and thus is contoured as can be more
clearly seen in
Figure 2. The belt contains a plurality of pliable plastic forms 18 positioned
on the inner side
of the belt 12, as illustrated, to offer better support to the mid-body organs
such as the
kidneys. As an example, the belt has a 2" wide nylon strap 20, 22 that is sewn
on both sides
of the outside of the belt 12 at 24. The straps 20, 22 each has a fastener 26,
28, respectively
at the terminal free ends, which is exemplified by a plastic buckle. The belt
12 is wrapped
around the driver's waist with the ends overlapping and secured using a
combination of
spaced apart Velcro (TM) strips along with the plastic buckle fastener.
Turning now to Figure 3, the passenger harness 14 is illustrated in greater
detail.
Generically, the harness comprises a waist belt 30, back yoke 32, divider
padded block 34
(Figures 2 and 5), helmet support 36 and a plurality of straps 38.
The child/passenger waist belt 30 in use secures the child/passenger at the
waist, as is
clearly shown in Figure 2.
In combination with the various straps 38, the arrangement in use becomes a
five
point harness type device. This five point system consists of securing the
child around the
waist, over each shoulder and under each leg through the groin area and
connects to the other
end of these straps that come down the back then connect at the buttocks area.
The strapping
interweaves through the waist belt portion using plastic sliders for better
fit.
The child/passenger belt 30 shares some common features with the driver belt
12. It
may also be made of nylon Cordura and is similar to the adult belt but smaller
in size. It is
40268886.1
-4-
CA 02652614 2011-01-27
5.5" wide at the back and tapers to 3.5" at the front to provide a contoured
profile. It also
includes pliable plastic supports on the inside (not shown). The tapered
design from front to
back allows for a better fit to contour to the child's/passenger's small waist
size.
In further detail, the harness 14 has of a set of body straps 40, 42 attached
to the belt
30. The 2" waist portion of the child/passenger belt 30 provides a strap 44
and 46 attached to
each side of the belt 30 at 48 with fasteners 50, 52 shown as plastic buckles
at each free end.
The belt 30 wraps around the child's/passenger's waist (Figure 2)with the ends
overlapping
and securing with Velcro (TM) and also connecting the plastic buckles at the
front of the
child's waist. This is not shown, however it is connected in the same manner
as that which
has been discussed concerning the driver belt 12.
Belt 30 also has, for example, 1.5" nylon straps 38 for each side of the
child's/passenger's body that goes up and over the child's shoulder and
through a loop 50, 52
respectively, made from, for example, 1" strapping. This is positioned on the
back padded
yoke 54 (discussed herein after ). Each then is positioned over and then down
the front to the
padded separator block 34 where it wraps around the block 34. The block 34
connects to the
child's/passenger's waist belt 30 with a vertical Velcro (TM) strap ( not
shown ). Each strap
38 continues down and then loops back up to the back of the belt 30 where each
strap 38
slides through plastic sliders (not shown) that are sewn on the side (one on
either side) of the
child/passenger belt 30. These then connect at each end of this strap using a
buckle 56, 58,
respectively at each end of each strap 38. Essentially, there are two (2) 1.5"
straps 38 with
each one being a continuous strap that goes up the back, over the shoulder in
front of the
child's/passenger's chest, down through and under the legs/groin area and then
connect to the
buckle at the buttocks.
The child's/passenger's belt 30 (with the padded separator block 34) is then
attached
to the adult belt 12 by sliding the adult belt 30 through the same strap that
belt 30 is sewn to
the padded block 34. The driver belt 12 slides through the front portion
(adult rider's side) of
the padded separator block 34 and is held in place by a combination of a strap
(not shown)
being securely fixed to the padded block 34 and Velcro (TM) material ( not
shown ). There
is only enough space to slide the driver belt 12 in sideways to afford a more
secure fit.
40268886.2
-5-
CA 02652614 2011-01-27
Both the child/passenger belt 30 and driver belt 12 portions of the
arrangement are
held securely in place by weaving the belts over and under lapping each other.
All the
strapping used is made with 2" wide nylon for the waist straps and 1.5" wide
nylon straps for
the child's/passenger's two straps 38 that wrap up the chest, over the
shoulder, down the
back, under the groin and up the front to connect with plastic buckles. Velcro
(TM) is also
used in some areas to help secure the belt.
Referring now to the padded cushion or block 34, the same provides a
comfortable
space between the driver and passenger and also facilitates physical
connection between the
passenger and the driver. This relationship is schematically illustrated in
Figure 2.
The padded separator block 34 is designed to give some free movement space
between the driver and the passenger for better control of the vehicle for the
driver. This
padded separator block 34, as an example, measures 7.5" high, 8.5" wide at the
front 60
(driver's side) and tapers to 7" wide at the back 62 (passenger side) with a
curved, contoured
shape designed for better comfort to the passenger's waist. The block or
cushion 34 may be
made of various densities of foam inside and enclosed with an outer nylon
Cordura fabric
sewn around all sides. Two 1" wide straps 64, 66 (one at each side - left and
right of the
block) with a rubber handle 68 on each strap 64, 66 for the passenger to use
for their hands
while riding to occupy them during the ride and also for further security.
In respect of the back yoke pad 54, mentioned briefly in the discussion
concerning
straps 38, the pad 34 provides support to the passenger's back and maintains
the shoulder
straps 38 aligned in the most appropriate position on the passenger's back and
shoulder area.
This helps to eliminate the shoulder straps from sliding off the passenger's
shoulder while
riding.
The pad 54 consists of a piece of a pliable plastic support on the inside and
on the
outside it is covered with a thin layer of foam and then enclosed with a nylon
Cordoba fabric
layer sewn together as one piece. The yoke 54 is 10.5" wide by 8" high and
about 0.25"
thick. It also has two (2) 1.5" wide reflective strips 70 sewn on the back for
better visibility
and safety. On the passenger's upper right hand side of the yoke 54 there is a
1" piece of
nylon strapping 54 that is sewn on. This is where the 1.5" nylon shoulder
straps slide through
to connect to the passenger's waist belt 30 at the front and back of the
passenger. On the
46268886.2
=6.
CA 02652614 2010-07-20
opposite side of the yoke 54 (upper left back area) there are two 1" nylon
straps 50 with snaps
(not shown) at each end that have the same purpose of the 1.5" nylon shoulder
straps being
secured with the additional feature that the 1" straps (that are sewn on the
yoke) can be
snapped in place. This feature allows for the child to put on or take off the
child belt easier.
Turning now to the neck or helmet support 36, this feature offers some support
for
when and if the passenger's head leans backwards due to the weight of the
helmet. If the
passenger's head tilts back, the helmet support pad 36 will help to support
some of the weight
of the helmet and also help to keep the passenger's head in a better upright
position which
will take some of the strain from the neck muscles used to hold up the head.
This helmet
support pad offers support for the weight of the passenger's helmet. This is
particularly
important in this case of a child as the child's neck muscles are not very
strong to support the
extra weight on the child's head while wearing a safety helmet. It also helps
to support the
child's head in the helmet in a better upright position while riding.
In one possible embodiment, the helmet support pad measures 5" wide by 3" deep
and
2" high and may be made of a piece of foam inside and enclosed with a nylon
Cordura fabric
outer layer. This support pad 36 is sewn onto the top center portion of the
back of the yoke
pad 54.
Although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific
embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled
in the art
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in
the claims
appended hereto.
40268886.1
-7-
